A simpler way to make a doctor's appointment

Lifestyle & Leisure Published on 13 January 2009 in Lifestyle & Leisure

Last summer we wrote about Lifebooker, a free service that lets users search, browse and book discounted appointments at health and beauty spots in New York City. In much the same vein—and in the same city—ZocDoc brings similar time-saving capabilities to the booking of appointments with doctors and dentists.

Aiming to make healthcare simpler, ZocDoc lets users make appointments with the Big Apple's dentists and doctors instantly and online, 24/7. Users simply search for the type of appointment they need—the site currently offers primary care, dermatology, ophthalmology, ENT, orthopedics, OB/GYN and dentistry—and they get a list of immediately bookable appointments in their area. Background details and patient reviews are available for each doctor and dentist listed on the site, and ZocDoc can also filter results by location and insurance accepted. Launched into beta in late 2007, the site is free to use.

Last month, ZocDoc was named the winner of the Forbes.com Boost Your Business Contest. And, of particular note for Springwise readers, the site is working with Dr. Jay Parkinson—whose ideas for Web 2.0 medicine we've covered twice before—with an API for Hello Health's platform. One to partner with or emulate in other parts of the world....? (Related: Online shopping for medical services.)

Website: www.zocdoc.com
Contact: service@zocdoc.com

Spotted by: Susan Johnston

Comments on this idea:

Another good site for making appoitments with your doctor is www.housedoc.us

When Susan's says
'Hello Health's platform. One to partner with'

Are Zocdoc using software from Hello Health or is this needed??

Thanks

another good site to make appointment with doctors and other professional services is www.servemehere.com

Housedoc and servemehere are not facilities that can help you find a doctor online. But there are a growing number of sites. Pricedoc.com is one such site. Also, many doctors have their own website and have online scheduling for their patients, but are not registered with these websites.

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